Health and other associated issues - Tips, Information and Guides
Helpful Tips For Overcoming Sleep Problems For Your Baby And You
by: Daphne Nancholas Sleep needs Did you know that newborn babies need 21 hours sleep a day and children
from six months to two years of age need at least 12 hours sleep? Sleep
deprivation can cause problems for everyone in the family: fractious babies
during the day, exhausted mothers and an anxious, stressful atmosphere. Sleep deprivation Sleep starvation is a huge problem for today’s parents. A survey of
2,000 new parents and 2,000 people aged 55 to 65 was carried out by Mother and
Baby and Yours magazines. It found today's parents try all kinds of things to get their babies to
sleep through the night, including taking the infant into their own bed. In
contrast, parents in the 1960s and 1970s tended to say their babies had slept
peacefully in their own cots. Today’s parents New mothers of young babies reported that, on average, they only have
three and a half hours sleep a night, compared to five hours which the older
generation said they used to get. Two thirds of those surveyed said this "sleep starvation" left them
feeling bad-tempered, with the same proportion reporting irritation with their
partner. Other problems included being tearful, forgetful, depressed, more
accident prone or clumsy, unable to function properly, and irritable with their
baby. So what’s different? In the 60s and 70s roles tended to be more clear-cut. Fathers went to work
and earned the money, mothers stayed at home and brought up the family. Mothers today often feel they are expected to bring up the family and earn
money doing something interesting. This situation can create anxiety: family
members can often be living miles away from each other, so there’s very little
support for the parents. 30-40 years ago you probably had relatives living nearby who could help
with babysitting and be there to offer advice – generally to calm the
situation. I saw a lot of young families while running a homeopathic clinic in
Bristol. They rarely had family support nearby. Here in Cornwall it is
noticeable that there is more family support, possibly because this is primarily
a rural area, strong in traditions. Vicious circle Anxiety breeds anxiety. If you’re feeling tense and anxious the chances
are that your baby will pick up on this and react in a similar way, so you get
caught in a vicious circle. When other family members come home they pick up on
it too. Obviously when you’re getting up several times a night to breast-feed
you’re going to feel very tired, but there is a great difference between being
tired and tense and tired and relaxed. The chances are that if you have periods of time when you can relax then
your quality of sleep will improve. Your baby will pick up on this and learn to
relax as well and your baby’s quality of sleep will improve because of this. Sometimes a baby can be irritable simply because he or she hasn’t had
enough sleep. When a young baby isn’t sleeping at all well it can affect the
whole family. Obviously with new born babies disruption is expected but when the
problem persists, sometimes for years, the results can be devastating. Benefits of good sleep While your baby is sleeping his or her cells are being regenerated, so the
quality and amount of sleep is very important in the development of your infant. Often over-stimulated babies calm themselves by looking away, yawning or
sucking on their lips – this self-relaxation increases their parasympathetic
activity and reduces sympathetic nervous activity. In plain English the parasympathetic nervous system chills us out and the
sympathetic nervous system stresses us out. The two systems work side by side to create a flow in the system. However,
for example, through lack of sleep, this balance gets thrown out and your baby
is more stressed out then muscles tense up and blood vessels are constricted. In this culture, with all its inherent pressures, people's Sympathetic
systems very often stay on guard, unable to give in to the softer, more gentle
flows of the Parasympathetic system. If we’re used to being tense we might not even think it a problem if our
baby is also tense – and, as with adults, a chronic state of tension leads to
stress related symptoms and illness. What can help? Learning to relax for a start. There are many forms of relaxation. Yoga,
meditation, tai chi, pilates – these are just a few choices. There may be
classes nearby or you could watch a video at home to learn the right moves. Start early During pregnancy, especially the final trimester, there can be anxiety
about the impending birth. Regular listening to relaxing music to help create a
relaxed state during pregnancy can actually help during the birth itself. By the
time your baby is born, your body will have learned to relax even more deeply to
the music, as a conditioned response. Mothers-to-be are encouraged to play music to their unborn babies because
research has shown babies can respond and be soothed by soft music both before
and after birth. According to Dr. Thomas Verny, author or 'The Secret Life of
the Unborn Child' your baby can kick in time to music from 25 weeks. The right
musical stimulation can enhance development, encourage sucking and promote
weight gain in newborn babies as well as help them to be relaxed and calm. A relaxing day Imagine the difference you could make to your life by getting into the
habit of relaxing through activities like yoga, meditation or listening to
calming music every day – especially if you set a regular time. It’s worth
it. If you and your baby are more relaxed then sleep is going to be a lot
easier. If your baby is spending his or her time in a relaxed and calm state
during the later part of the day or around the time you would like him or her to
start dropping off, it can only help. We’re the same – if we’ve just been dancing away at a party we’re
hardly likely to be in the mood to sleep straight afterwards – we’d be
buzzing - so why should babies be any different?
About The Author
Daphne Nancholas is a registered homeopath and for the past 10 years has
specialised in the female cycle, including pregnancy, birth and babies. Her book, Taking Off, a handbook for newly qualified homeopathic
practitioners was published in 2003. Her website is:
www.daphnehomeopath.co.uk. Daphne and her partner Graham Smith have written a relaxation CD
especially for mother and baby - the website is:
www.calmtime.co.uk. Calmtime helps during pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and anytime your
baby is restless, irritable and/or has sleep problems. Helps all the family
relax. |
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